This is the first year in which Snapper wasn't seen seen outside. I wanted to, trust me. But he was suffering from serious radio interference. This meant something around here was messing with the signal being sent by my transmitter, and Snapper was being a little unpredictable. Not really safe to use around children, so I decided to give him a rest this year.
But what is taking Snapper's place?
Well, my other robot isn't ready yet. And this one weighs around 150KG. So there's no way I'm sending it out untested. And I don't have any other robots around here. (Besides a Roomba. But he's indoor-only)
So the reigns fall onto my Traxxas Summit. Still radio controlled, and still big enough to deliver candy. But not homemade, unfortunately.
I've done some upgrades to it though. The steering motors stopped while out in the park at one point, so they needed replacing. And 2 of the halfshafts snapped while at Leasowes. They were replaced as well. I also fitted some extra lights to the top that don't come as standard.
Though my way of delivering candies is the best upgrade.
This method is heavily inspired by RCLifeOn's video. He did this twice in his homecountry of Sweden. Not as a Halloween thing, but for the pure fun of it.
Alright. I've got my Summit. I could just strap a bucket to it, but that seems kinda lazy. Let's design something!
I managed to design this little pot. The odd handle-looking thing on the back should match up with the truck's bullbar, and can be ziptied in place. As a bonus, this means the headlights will illuminate the pot.
I also decided to add a link to this website on the lid.
Oh, did I mention the lid? Yeah, I'm adding a lid.
Partly because it looks cool, but mostly to stop the candies spilling out if I'm a little trigger-happy on the throttle. It's also good if it rains. Just like RCLifeOn, I'll be using a servo motor to remotely operate this lid.
The lid was made the same way. I printed most of this in a translucent filament but switched to colours for the final few layers to make the QR code and URL stand out properly. Though sadly this didn't work as I had one chap proclaim it wasn't working for his phone. Fixing this for next year, I promise!
Here's a fun fact for you:
I actually ordered a model trailer to put on the back of the truck. The idea was that the trailer would carry a bucket of candy. But despite paying £25 for super fast shipping, it's supposed to arrive the day after Halloween. So if I end up using the truck again next year, you'll know it's just to make the money worth it eventually.
Anyway. The lid is fitted. Now to add the motor. This one will be just held in place with hot glue. I'm using a servo motor from a boat that has been sitting on my bedroom shelf for over a decade. Not used it in ages so might as well use it!
I 3D-printed a little orange stick that sits on the servo horn to extend it a little. My measurements were off, so this too had to be hot glued into place.
The other thing is that I used a bit of snapped filament from my 3D printer to hinge the lid, but it was a little too soft. So I straightened out a paper clip and used that, and it worked well.
Only other change I made was the way it self-closes. This was done by adding a rubber band to the rod and attaching the other end to the lid. Once again, this worked well.
And that was basically it! Tucked the receiver and battery under the body of the vehicle and zip-tied the wires out of the way. Then it was time to have some fun!